Protective effect and mechanisms of action of Mongolian medicine Sulongga-4 on pyloric ligation-induced gastroduodenal ulcer in rats

• Published in: World journal of gastroenterology : WJG Vol. 27; no. 16; pp. 1770 - 1784
• Main Authors: Tong, Shan, Wang, Huan, A, Li-Sha, Bai, Ta-Na, Gong, Ju-Hua, Jin, Wen-Jie, Dai, Li-Li, Ba, Gen-Na, Cho, Sung-Bo, Fu, Ming-Hai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Baishideng Publishing Group Inc 28.04.2021
• Subjects: Animals; Basic Study; Gastric Mucosa; Medicine, Mongolian Traditional; Peptic Ulcer; Rats; Stomach Ulcer - chemically induced; Stomach Ulcer - drug therapy; Stomach Ulcer - prevention & control; Peptic ulcer; Retinol metabolism; Inflammatory reaction; Pyloric ligation; Sulongga-4; Microarray analysis
• ISSN: 1007-9327; 2219-2840
• DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i16.1770

Sulongga-4 (SL-4) is a herbal formula used in traditional Mongolian medical clinics for the treatment of peptic ulcers and gastroenteritis, even though its pharmacological mechanism has not been well characterized. To evaluate the protective effect and identify the mechanisms of action of SL-4 on gastroduodenal ulcer induced by pyloric ligation (PL) in rats. PL was performed to induce gastric and duodenal ulcers in rats, which were then treated with oral SL-4 (1.3, 2.6, or 3.9 g/kg per day) for 15 d. PL-induced gastroduodenal ulceration. Therapeutic effects were characterized by pathological and histological evaluations and inflammatory indicators were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Microarray analyses were conducted to identify gene expression profiles of gastroduodenal tissue in PL rats with or without SL-4 treatment. The candidate target genes were selected and verified by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). SL-4 decreased histopathological features in the PL-induced ulcerated rats. SL-4 significantly ( < 0.05) decreased expression of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, endotoxin, platelet-activating factor, and increased prostaglandin E2 and epidermal growth factor in ulcer tissue. Microarray analysis was used to identify a panel of candidate target genes for SL-4 acting on PL-induced ulceration. Genes included some complement and coagulation cascade and retinol metabolism pathways that are closely associated with inflammatory responses and gastric mucosal protective mechanisms. qRT-PCR showed that altered expression of the selected genes, such as , , , and was consistent with the microarray results. SL-4 exerts protective effects against PL-induced gastroduodenal ulcers reducing inflammatory cytokines and elevating expression of gastric acid inhibitory factors. Downregulation of and genes in retinol metabolism and upregulation of and genes in the complement and coagulation cascades pathways are possibly involved in SL-4-mediated protection against gastroduodenal ulcer.